The Baseline mandate comes from a level of management that can authorise the cost and resource usage (for starting up and performing the baseline initiative).

Below the suggested content for a baseline mandate.

The extent of the baseline subject matter will determine the level of detail for these items. Some of these content elements will be further elaborated in the other management products.

Responsible authority

Because a shared baseline is likely to benefit all stakeholders in a territorial entity (country, city, riverbasin, …) it is recommended that the local government is responsible.

Background

A shared baseline will support stakeholders in understanding which facts on their livelihood have been captured already, and which facts are not known or visible yet.

Objectives

When baseline data is shared by several initiatives, then those initiatives can make use of it for improved two-way communication with their stakeholders, at lower costs, and with lower efforts.

Stakeholders can in one place share their insights on their situation, and validate or comment upon related assumptions by project participants.

Advocates of new initiatives for a particular area can via the baseline identify the ongoing initiatives. This will help them in avoiding double or parallel work, or in identifying prior work or resources on which they could build.

Scope

The actors, interactions, processes and resources in a delineated socio-technical or geographical area.

Constraints

Fact finding and documentation may be constrained by certain factors. These can be described here.

Interfaces

To other baselines and to initiatives making use of the baseline.

User's quality expectations

Here one could express the quality levels that are anticipated in the baseline work. As more or higher-cost initiatives are relying upon the baseline, then a higher quality can be expected.

Outline of the business case

The reason for a baseline outside of spheres of the individual initiatives is that baseline facts are often of value to multiple initiatives (programmes and projects). If each of these initiatives — with limited resources and singly and severally — gathers baseline data, then the quality of the baseline data may suffer.

Baseline tolerances

Tolerances could be related to quality level, delivery time, scope and level of detail.

Key roles

Who will be the executive and project manager?

Who is providing funding, who are the users, any other known interested party.